Match Links

Australia v Wales - Live

Last updated: 23rd June 2012

Full time There goes the siren and Genia smacks it into touch! Game over... the Welsh are going to be distraught and livid in equal measure. Distraught that it's one point again, livid that once again, two penalties took them down frmo the opposition 22 to behind their own posts for the winning kick by Barnes. Australia did just enough without convincing... and expect to hear a few grumbles about the officiating, it wasn't Craig Joubert's best game. Cheers from Sydney!

78 Australia playing good keep ball now, in midfield. and it looks as though the Welsh are going to be a point short again.

75 Turnover in the Welsh 22 and Hook breaks,kicks ahead long and it's all down the bounce of the ball... it drifts into touch! A big moment - Hook would have been home and dry!

72 Over it goes! BARNES PENALTY gives Australia the lead back!

71 It appears that whichever hamster-wheel is powering the internet connection here briefly ceased duties once again.... someone' obviously now fed him, as we're back. And we can report that HALFPENNY has LANDED a PENALTY WALES, so it's 19-17! But Barnes has a chance here to strike right back as Joubert begins another series of technical whistles...

65 Barnes drags the extras well wide. It's a one-point ballgame at 17-16!

64 Cleared from the scrum by the Welsh, but not to touch. Australia countering now and there's no wide cover from Wales! Out the ball goes, Horne juggles it, but just keeps his nerve! TRY AUSTRALIA! HORNE!

63 It's sparked the Wallabies into life. Barnes on a wrap around move makes some serious yardage, before giving it to Beale and Horne, who spills it.

61 Easy two points for Halfpenny - Wales lead 16-12!

60 We've wasted fully five minutes on this scrum. This one goes horribly round, then collapses... but this time it's play on. The worst scrum of all gets an outcome. Through the phases now and the Welsh are stretching them again.Phillips darts, Cuthbert to 2m, Ryan Jones pick and go.... TRY WALES!

53 Free-kick Wales now for a technical offence. They go for another scrum. Reset. Reset. Yawn. Bit of a scuffle now though, Adam Jones is furious about something - you don't see that often. Wales win a penalty now... another scrum.

52 Off the uprights! Barnes clears, Phillips box-kcks back, Genia takes it and goes for a run. Australia ball in the Welsh half. Beale breaks! Chips and chases - was he taken out? No says Joubert and North and Cuthbert, then Priestland launch a brilliant counter attack, Priestland grubbers on, Tipuric chasing and he forces Ioane over his own line! 5m scrum Wales, out on the right, perfect position.

51 Line-out not straight from Australia though.... it's a mxture of errors and penalties and it's just not pretty. Ryan Jones is off with a blood injury after a clash of heads with Wycliff Palu, as is Pat McCabe. Wales win a penalty at the scrum and Halfpenny has another long shot...

48 The Welsh are thus still on the front foot,this time slower butmore effective... but again a penalty to the defence. This one is for sealing off.

46 Australia counter-ruck well and they've won a turnover... and a penalty! Good defence, but Barnes has missed touch with the kick.

45 SECOND HALF: Not that you've missed much this first five minutes here, but it seems the internet service at Allianz Stadium is as disrupted as an opposition ruck with David Pocock around...but the Welsh have a good line-out position here, 10m out from the Wallabies' line.

Half time Priestland goes for a drop goal to restore parity, but it drifts well wide... that's it for the half. Started brightly, but has become pretty fractured as it has gone on. Australia lead by four kicks to three. Any tries in the second half? Any joy for Wales? Join us in ten to see....

39 Over it goes! PENALTY AUSTRALIA, BARNES makes it 12-9!

38 Phillips caught offside, so Barnes can give his team a half-time lead...

36 You'd have to say, it's petered out a bit. Craig Joubert hasn't helped,he's pinged a lot of marginal calls,but it is also up to the teams to respond. There's also been a fair few handling errors too - epitomised by Higginbotham here just shy of the Welsh 22. Priestland clears.

34 Turnover! Welsh look to run it out, but it's not going to happen... and Priestland makes a monster kick down the the Wallabies 22.

32 We're wasting a fair bit of time on scrums today... Nathan Sharpe even quips at the reset: "here we go again"! Finally we get a good one and Australia attack well down the right, to the 22.

29 Big blow for the Welsh here as Warburton lumbers off... he took a knock to the head earlier and he's been struggling to keep anything down since. Scrum midfield to the Wallabies.

27 Line-out lost. Australia build again, Horne makers it to the 22, Genia snipes, but the Welsh have learned their lesson about that one.Wales holding out... and win a penalty as Pocock goes off his feet. Better discipline from the Welsh in defence - they're learning their lesson.

25 The Welsh restarts have been pretty dismal too. australia get the ball back, run it wide to the right, but Warburton makes a great turnover and earns a line-clearing penalty.

23 HALFPENNY makes it 9-9! Their discipline has not been great, but they've been better with the ball in hand. PENALTY WALES!

22 The Welsh get an advantage now... and the penalty for not releasing the tackled player. A quick tap and go - the teams have come to play in spite of Joubert's fussiness (hopefully he's just laying down the law as much as possible early on). a good attack from the Welsh here, coast to coast with the ball... and another penalty. This one should be easy meat for Halfpenny.

20 Good work from the tourists here, the Australian defence is under pressure! Working it into the 22, Davies, Warburton, Bennett all taking it up, to 5m out.... and a penalty for holding on! The Welsh are getting frustrated with Craig Joubert here.

19 Another Australia penalty, this one out of range, but still, the Welsh discipline is awry at the moment. Barnes thumps it down to the welsh 22, but there's a good steral at the line-out from Warburton.

17 BARNES strokes it over! PENALTY AUSTRALIA! 9-6!

16 The Welsh again make a mistake at the restart, Beale gets the ball and steps up to the 22. Ten phases for the Wallabies thus far, but it's good defence... until Jenkins is pinged for not rolling away.

11 Spent a fair bit of time on this scrum... and the Welsh win a turnover.... then a penalty! Halfpenny can have a pop from here, he has the range...

10 Wales' first unforced error as Priestland puts the restart short of the requisite 10m.

8 BARNES puts Australia back in the lead! PENALTY AUSTRALIA! 6-3!

7 HALFPENNY pulls us level! PENALTY WALES, 3-3! One multi=phase attack each, one penalty each... effective start from both teams with ball in hand... and the Wallabies win a penalty frmo their own restart.

5 So the Welsh have a dip with ball in hand now. They're also making metres,Jonathan davies twice crashes the ball up the 12-13 channel, that looks to be a tactic.They're up to the 22 as well.... and they've also won a penalty.

2 Running pretty well too, they've made itup to the Welsh 22. Barnes goes for a drop goal.... wide, but they come back for a penalty anyway.

1 And we're off and running! Well, not quite running... deep kick from Barnes returned with interest by Phillips, back by Genia, back by Priestland.... it's the Aussies set to run first as Polota-Nau gathers the last kick.

Anthems Lots of trilly female pashion... the Welsh one a little more operatic, the Australian one a little more 'Sheila having a bit of a wail in the bar' in style and pitch... lots of fun and well-recevied though! Tracksuits off, here we go...

Conditions Glorious sunshine here greeting the players as the Welsh trot onto the pitch first. Bright sunshine, a cool winter's evening, not much in the way of breeze... perfect weather!

Team news Wales will field an unchanged starting XV. The only change to the squad is on the bench, where hooker Ken Owens cames for Richard Hibbard.

Team news Robbie Deans has recalled troubled full-back Kurtley Beale to his starting line-up at full-back. Adam Ashley-Cooper shift to the right wing, while the only other change to the starting XV sees Sitaleki Timani start at lock in place of the benched Rob Simmons.

Welcome Hello and welcome to Sydney for our coverage of the third and final Test between the Six Nations champions and the Tri-Nations champions! Twice Wales have come close to upsetting their hosts. Will it be third time lucky?

Toulon's Leigh Halfpenny features for Wales on Friday night, but there is no place in the England team for club team-mate and European Player of the Year Steffon Armitage, due to England's selection policy.